Kerala: Research scholar-run eatery reopens after pandemic break

Sneha Limbgaonkar, from Nanded, Maharashtra, ran an eatery in Kerala to fund her studies. As the pandemic struck, she was forced to stop her studies and eatery business due to lockdowns. However, as lockdowns have eased, she is back in Kerala, resuming her studies and the eatery.

Sneha was studying as a research scholar at Kerala University’s Department of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics. She was in the final phase in March 2020 when the pandemic-induced lockdowns began. The lockdown forced her back home, leaving her research incomplete. Sneha also ran a roadside eatery, Sneha’s Bukateria, to fund her studies, which had to be closed down when she moved back to Maharashtra.

However, as lockdowns have eased, Sneha has returned to Kerala to complete her research. She has also reopened her eatery. Her eatery gained popularity because of the authentic North Indian food that she served at affordable rates.


Sneha started her eatery in 2014 when she joined the University. Located opposite the Kariavattom campus, the pushcart earned her Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per day. Along with her scholarship, the earnings allowed her to live comfortably. Sneha said she was happy, but destiny had other plans.

Sneha delivered a baby boy during her absence from the University, which delayed her return. However, she re-joined the Department in May 2022 and has resumed her research. Talking about her studies, Sneha said that she belongs to a rural Dalit household for whom education was the only hope to beat deprivation. With the birth of her child, she now has more responsibilities managing her son and studies simultaneously, she says.

She mentioned that her friend, assistant professor Ashwani Jayachandran, helps her focus on her research and run the eatery. Professor Ashwani says Sneha is an individual who never got discouraged by unfortunate situations.